


Saturdays I'm In Love

by gray_zelle



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: AU, F/F, SO GAY, also i know the song by the cure is called friday i'm in love, gray-zelle, gray_zelle, hey my mutuals from the dm fandom catch the cameo of a certain set of six sisters, illuminationaustralia, the one where olivia and jacquelyn meet in a library, they're so gay, this is my first ao3 fic!! i'm so excited!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 18:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_zelle/pseuds/gray_zelle
Summary: I wasn't sure if I should write Olivia getting as 'so-gay-i-can't-function' as I did, but I mean, Jacquelyn just has this Effect On Women™, amirite??Also thanks so much to tansypool for helping me with the title for Jacquelyn's book, 'A History of European Bladed Weapons: Voulges, Falchions, and Dirks'!!When I pasted the story's text into AO3 I lost italicised stuff but I'm too lazy to go back and edit the story, whoops





	Saturdays I'm In Love

This was the third time Olivia had seen her here this month.

In the time she had been working at the city library on weekends, Olivia had gotten to know a good few faces. There was the older woman with buck teeth and a nasally laugh who asked for nothing but cookbooks; the buff and burly builder man whose large frame dwarfed wooden chairs; and the quiet, bespectacled teenage girl who checked out about six or seven books every week. They all seemed quite nice, but just as… well, average. Normal. Uninteresting.

Unlike her.

She stood out like a 700 book in a 000 section; a piece of work promising something spectacular, and full of colour and wonder, in a somewhat average, everyday setting. Her entire being was like a cover, enticing Olivia into getting to know her. With every glimpse her way, Olivia wanted nothing but to read her. 

She had made for the exact same section of the library today. From the main counter, Olivia watched her slowly amble down the shelves rising to the roof, stopping every now and again before resuming her hunt. As far as Olivia knew, she had never succeeded in her search for the book that would answer the question burning like a fire in her mind. 

From what Olivia had seen, she possessed a sharp glint in her eye, much like that of a sword. Tartan had to be her favourite pattern: on the first Saturday, she had sported a tartan overcoat; the second, tartan pants; today, a tartan blouse and skirt. Her sandy brown hair hung in a basic combed curl, and slowly swished like curtains in the breeze when she turned her head. 

Olivia knew she was staring again, but couldn’t bring herself to stop; it wasn’t often that someone could tear her eyes from the latest book in her hand. 

The woman turned her head slightly. Their eyes caught each other. 

Olivia didn’t know what to do with herself when she turned her head completely, giving her a smile she could only call charming.

When she resumed her search, Olivia looked away for a moment, wondering if she’d imagined their communication. Realising it had actually happened, in real time, and not on the pages she tried to focus on, her cheeks burned with embarrassment, heart thumping wildly. 

It threatened to burst from her chest when Olivia realised the woman was at the other side of the desk. 

How she composed herself so quickly was a complete mystery. Yet, Olivia felt confident enough to actually speak to her. 

“Looking for anything in particular? I’ve noticed you haven’t been too successful these past few weeks.” 

Darn! Why was that all she’d managed to say?! 

“I guess it’s a bit of a long shot,” she said in a voice Olivia could assign to a strong, capable, no-nonsense-taking heroine. “I’m not too sure how many copies of this book were printed. But if you could help, that would be fantastic.” Her eyes sparkled when she presented that smile to Olivia. 

“Do you happen to know the decy dewimal number?” Olivia asked. Immediately, she wanted to smash her face with her book.

“I don’t, so I suppose this might be a challenge for you.” 

“Oh, I don’t mind a challenge,” Olivia replied – so far, so not-so-embarrassing – which was entirely true. “Not at all. Could you tell me what the book is about?” 

“Swords, mainly.” 

An image of this woman wielding a sword flashed across Olivia’s mind. And, goodness, was it glorious. Almost as glorious as the glint that came to her eyes – quite sword-like themselves, she realised. 

“Of course. Swords would match your eyes quite splendidly.” 

“Just like tea as bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword would suit yours.” 

Olivia almost sputtered “Oh, my goodness” out loud. For a good few seconds, she found herself stuck in this woman’s eyes. For those seconds, she forgot her challenge, forgot that her hand was fumbling in a card catalogue drawer, and when one of those sword-like eyes winked right at her, forgot how heavy these little drawers were. Soon she’d managed to jam her hand right into it. 

“That’s definitely not how you use this… this….” Its name completely gone from her mind, Olivia gestured to it with her throbbing hand, grinning awkwardly. She felt more and more like a complete imbecile by the second. 

“The card catalogue?” 

“Yes! That!... And I’m not even looking in an ‘S’ drawer. ‘Sword’ starts with ‘s’, the last time I checked.” 

“So does ‘sweet’, last time I checked.” She placed her chin in her hand, waiting for Olivia to actually start looking through an ‘S’ drawer. (She quickly busied herself.) “And I hope you don’t mind me saying you’re quite sweet.” 

Luckily Olivia working her fingers through the catalogue’s tabs kept the woman from seeing her blush again. It took a good few seconds for her to realise she’d actually passed ‘sword’; she backtracked, before turning to her again. 

“Olivia,” the woman mused, looking to Olivia’s name badge. 

“Unfortunately, you don’t have a badge, so I can’t say your name with my own gentle, thoughtful tone.” 

“Jacquelyn.” 

“Hmm,” she mused. “Olivia. I mean, Jacquelyn.” 

Jacquelyn gave a soft chuckle. “Yes, that would be my name.” 

“Jacquelyn who likes swords, has eyes like swords, and is just as smooth as the flat side of a sword’s blade, the proper name of which has escaped my mind?” 

Jacquelyn shrugged, making Olivia certain she didn’t think Olivia a complete twit. “If you’d like. And it’s just the flat side. Or the paddle.” 

“That name’s quite cursed.” 

Not too sure why she’d said that, Olivia returned to the catalogue without another word. Knowing she would easily get them back in alphabetical order and into the catalogue before the library closed, she yanked the cards with ‘sword’ from the drawer, depositing them on the counter as neatly as she could. Without embarrassing herself any further – for now – she managed to ask Jacquelyn if any of the titles were familiar. 

Jacquelyn quickly sifted through the cards, a concentrated frown settling into her brow. One or twice, the title of a card caught her eye more than the others did, but she soon dismissed almost all of them. 

She finally held up a card labelled 'A History of European Bladed Weapons: Voulges, Falchions, and Dirks'. “This is the one. Though I’m not too sure how something without ‘Sword’ in its title ended up in the ‘S’ drawer.” 

Olivia wholeheartedly agreed. By some miracle, her reply was a logical, understandable one. “It must have been one of the other librarians who work here on weekdays. Now, where exactly is this book in this library… It’s in the 600’s. 621, to be exact.” 

The look that crossed Jacquelyn’s face had Olivia thinking she was feeling quite the fool. “So, not in the 000’s like I thought.” 

Olivia gave her a smile. “Swords can go just about anywhere in this library. In the 600’s, in the 900’s; a book or two on those tabs was in the 000’s, so you were somewhat right. Now, let’s go see.” Stepping out from behind the counter, she lead the way. 

“Wherever this book is, I hope it’s in the library to start with. Like I said, this book is quite rare.” 

“Apparently the catalogue system hasn’t been cleared out in a while, so that unfortunately might be the case. But if we can’t find it here, I can always search for it in my regular library for you. I’m also the librarian at Prufrock Prepatory School.” 

“Prufrock Prepatory School, you said?” Jacquelyn echoed. “Some of my colleagues went there. I'll have to tell them I met the librarian. Well, not just ‘the librarian’. I’ll tell them I met one Olivia… your surname?” 

“Caliban.” 

“That’s quite the surname you have there,” Jacquelyn said, with a small smile. It wasn’t that charming smile, but still had Olivia struggling to regain her composure. 

“Would you like to have it?” 

Perhaps she imagined the gasp that came from a sitting place in the library. She did her best to brush it off, like Jacquelyn brushed off her comment (probably for her sake). 

Taking a look around the aisle they had travelled to, Jacquelyn asked, “So where should we start?” 

Turning, Olivia gained her bearings the best she could, eyes finally landing on a 621 taped to the thick spine of a book. “Let’s start at 621.0, then work our way along. It might take a while, though.”

“I don’t mind, Miss Caliban. Not in the slightest.” 

She almost said “Oh, my goodness” out loud again. She actually did say it when, during their search, Jacquelyn bundled about 20 books – thick and thin, big and small – in her arms to get them out of Olivia’s way while she stood on a stepladder. Some superior strength hid in her arms. 

That and practically everything else about Jacquelyn distracted Olivia from the time. Soon half an hour had passed, in which she’d searched high and low through the 600’s, then the 900’s, and even the 000’s, for this 'A History of European Bladed Weapons: Voulges, Falchions, and Dirks'. Jacquelyn had stayed close the whole time; their conversations were small, and focused around the book before anything else. 

Had the circumstances been a little different – meaning Olivia hadn’t been in book finding mode, which usually kept her from being interesting enough for anyone to talk to – she would have loved to sit and talk to Jacquelyn for hours upon hours. Maybe about this book. Definitely about more. Even to where Olivia found she had nothing else to say. That, she figured, wouldn’t take long, with the often abysmal life she currently lead. She hoped Jacquelyn wouldn’t mind that. 

“Still no luck?” Jacquelyn asked, pulling her from her thoughts. She didn’t sound desperate, or dismayed; instead, Olivia felt desperate and dismayed. Her desperation and dismay only grew when she looked to the library clock, which was merely minutes away from hitting noon. Meaning the library’s patrons, including Jacquelyn, would need to leave. 

She came down the ladder, heaving a sigh. “Unfortunately, no. I’m sorry about that, Jacquelyn.” 

Maybe she was imagining things, but she was certain Jacquelyn slightly, slightly, brushed at her arm. “You’ve tried your best, Miss Caliban. I’ve never met a librarian so determined to find a book before.” 

“I can look in the Prufrock library if you’d like me to,” she offered, further proving Jacquelyn’s point. “And I can have a better look around a little later, after I close everything up.” 

“Or I can come back next weekend. Would that suit you better, Miss Caliban?” 

It took a moment or two for Olivia to sort out a reply. Jacquelyn wanted to come back? To see her?- Well, perhaps not to see her. No, no, she was getting a little too carried away here. She wanted the book. That was all. 

“Olivia is fine, Jacquelyn. And, well, if you’d like to come back…” 

That charming smile, in full, came back to Jacquelyn’s face. Her eyes glinted brighter than any sword or knife Olivia had ever seen. “It’s a date then, Olivia.” 

For a good minute, Olivia stopped functioning. Stopped existing as a person. It wasn’t until Jacquelyn was gone did she realise the clock’s hand was closer to noon. 

Hurrying to close up the library, Olivia found the burly builder man standing at her counter, a huge grin on his face. He had a book or two in his hand – probably another carpentry book, and a romance novel for his wife – and since he was a regular, and quite a gentleman, Olivia didn’t hesitate to serve him. 

As she noted down his books, he said, “I’ve read a good few romance novels in my time, Miss Olivia, but never, never have they given me the joy I felt when you spoke to that tartan-clad lass.” 

“We have a date next Saturday,” she smiled. “A professional one, that is.” 

“Well, I don’t know about you, Miss Olivia, but I hope this date of yours leads to something more meaningful.” He gave her a hearty wink, before leaving. 

Goodness, did Olivia hope they would. 

Come Saturday morning, Olivia was back in the library. Jacquelyn arrived, as they had decided. She strode in wearing her tartan overcoat and that charming smile again, leaving Olivia at a loss for words for a good few seconds. They soon began their search for 'A History of European Bladed Weapons: Voulges, Falchions, and Dirks' almost immediately, but this time, spoke more. During that morning, Olivia learned that Jacquelyn: was a secretary for an important enough banker at Mulctuary Money Management; had a best friend in a man named Larry, his surname was a strange one; once acted in a film called 'Zombies In The Snow', that no, wasn’t based on a book, so maybe Olivia would like it; and owned a motorbike. Though their search for 'A History of European Weapons' was fruitless, yet again, Olivia did check out a few motorbike mechanic books for her. 

Until the clock neared noon, they talked at the counter for a while longer. All the library’s regulars had come today, along with maybe six blonde girls; Olivia could see stacks of books sitting on their laps, or the desks in front of them, but no one dared to come and ask to check them out. It seemed they wanted to give the two their privacy. 

Olivia didn’t mind at all. And she certainly didn’t mind that she’d figured out how to act like a normal human being while looking to Jacquelyn’s eyes. She still had to work on composing herself after Jacquelyn’s flirtatious comments, though. If they were meant to be flirtatious. Perhaps Olivia was getting too carried away regarding that, yet again. (No one could stop her dreaming she wasn’t, though.) 

When the clock’s hands lined up, concluding their time together, Jacquelyn asked, “Shall we meet again next week, Olivia?” 

“It’s a date,” she smiled. 

She was certain a slight tinge of pink came to Jacquelyn’s cheeks, and that gasps of joy came from the direction of the regulars. 

They met again the following Saturday. This time around, Jacquelyn’s attire – her tartan pants, paired with the leather jacket she mentioned owning – and that charming smile, almost swept Olivia off her feet. 

“Jacquelyn,” she found herself murmuring. “You look amazing.” 

“You say that like you don’t look the same,” she replied. Maybe Olivia wasn’t entirely over Jacquelyn’s comment, or Jacquelyn’s beauty, but she thought she sounded somewhat flustered, too. 

They said nothing for a half minute that, to Olivia, seemed to last forever. They made eye contact a good few times, before one or both of them looked away, the remnants of their smiles on their lips. 

Eventually, Olivia broke the silence. “Let’s not forget what we’re meant to be here for.” 

“Hmm? Oh, yes. The book.” 

This time, just like the last, they scoured the 600’s, the 900’s, and the 000’s for 'A History of European Weapons'. And again, they talked. Soon Olivia knew that Larry was looking for a casual waiter job at the restaurant Salmonella (they both agreed the name was quite questionable); that Jacquelyn had secretly been fed up with her boss all week, the reason being ‘He’s the textbook definition of an ignorant twit at times’; and that the motorbike mechanic books she’d checked out last week had helped her out tremendously. In turn, Olivia told Jacquelyn of a quaint teashop she visited during the week, and revealed the one reason why she took up this Saturday position at the library: to escape a vile, violin-torturing vice principal and the prissy pink princess of Hell, or thereabouts. Though Jacquelyn wholeheartedly related to Olivia’s struggles with those living migraines, she still laughed at what she’d called them. 

Soon forty-five minutes had passed by them, much to Olivia’s surprise. In that time, they’d hardly searched for the book; instead, had made their way down different aisles, dodging the occasional book browser, talking slightly louder than they should have been in this date’s setting. Had anyone gone to the counter to check out a book, Olivia wouldn’t know. Jacquelyn was, once again, the only being in this library’s walls that stood out to her. 

They found themselves in a thinner, cozier aisle down the back of the library. There was no way the book would would be here, but here, the two of them wouldn’t be bothered. 

Jacquelyn leaned against the wooden beam of the shelf, avoiding the spines of any books. Though her arms were folded, she still possessed an inviting aura about her, that had Olivia wanting to tell her anything and everything she could possibly think of. The library’s lights hardly reached this aisle; they cast only Jacquelyn’s face in a golden glow. 

Olivia took to leaning on the other shelf, meeting Jacquelyn’s eyes once or twice. Thinking 'A History of European Weapons' could still be on her mind, she said, “It would be a miracle if we found it down here. I’ve never been here, but I’ve been told these books aren’t for loan. No one’s interested in them anymore.” 

Jacquelyn didn’t reply for a moment. The light seemed to pick up a pink tinge in her cheeks again. 

“Well, Olivia, the truth is: I mentioned it to Larry, and he ended up searching through our colleagues’ library. So I’ve had a copy of it since the Tuesday after we first met.” 

“You have?” 

“I have. But I decided not to tell you in case you didn’t want to continue our dates. After all, it’s not often you meet a woman who….” She winked. “You know.” 

Oh, Olivia knew. 

She couldn’t stop herself grinning. Knowing Jacquelyn also fancied women, and knowing Jacquelyn fancied her... Once again, Olivia was lost for words. This time, though, she couldn’t find that embarrassing. 

She dared to step closer to Jacquelyn; she ended up beside her, too close for this to be considered a professional date anymore. Their hands intertwined. Soon both of them were wearing the same smile – one both full of charm, and full of love. 

“Though I set out to find one thing, I suppose I ended up with two,” Jacquelyn murmured. “And I do like books-“ 

“Especially books about swords?” 

“Especially books about swords. But I can tell you now, there’s definitely something I’m looking forward to liking more.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't sure if I should write Olivia getting as 'so-gay-i-can't-function' as I did, but I mean, Jacquelyn just has this Effect On Women™, amirite?? 
> 
> Also thanks so much to tansypool for helping me with the title for Jacquelyn's book, 'A History of European Bladed Weapons: Voulges, Falchions, and Dirks'!!
> 
> When I pasted the story's text into AO3 I lost italicised stuff but I'm too lazy to go back and edit the story, whoops


End file.
